the bill.

>> please welcome house speaker nancy pelosi, senator chuck schumer, senator kyrsten sinema and others. ♪ >> please welcome williams,

member of the local steelworkers 25. [applause] [no audio] >> members of my local union, brothers and sisters, as is not a great day to sign a bill? i am done to williams, i am an office at foreman and wilmington , north carolina. our 326 members in the steelworkers throughout our great union supply america. we have the materials and components needed in our nations

infrastructure. investment in infrastructure are critical for me, my brothers and sisters and the industries. i was proud to join them to help passes bill. -- help passes bill you will sign today, president biden. [applause] why the most it's -- exciting part is the $65 million upgrade to expand broadband in communities across the country. [applause] communities like mine in rural north carolina. this is not just an investment in broadband, but jobs and fiber and north carolina -- this will help everyone have access --

have -- help everyone have access to the internet that they need to teach their children. these jobs are important. working there i been there 26 years, and help me raise my daughter, who is now 30. as a single mom, i was able to have health care provided and sent her to school to get an education and has allowed me to contribute to my economy and community. it also help me -- for essential items. i just want to thank president biden.

[applause] i want to thank him for investing in me, workers like me, my brothers and sisters, all throughout this great united states. i just want to thank you and thank you for your bold leadership and vision and thank you for the opportunity to be here today. and now it is my honor to introduce the mayor of fontana, california, acquanetta warren. mad [applause] mayor warren: thank you very much. mr. president and distinguished guests, i'm acquanetta warren, mayor of fontana, california, from san bernardino county. i'm honored to be here and represent small and midsized communities in america.

this bill, the bipartisan infrastructure bill, is designed to help all of us, big, small, and in between. the bill brought together both republicans and democrats and will address the critical needs of our community by putting millions of americans to work and providing longterm funding to address our nation's crumbling infrastructure. i congratulate not only president biden on this tremendous accomplishment, but the members of congress, including my representative, norma torres, and pete aguilar. for both parties who voted this, i attended many meetings regarding this bill, virtually, of course. i attended these meetings and i was so struck by the bipartisan nature of the discussion. it doesn't matter whether you are a republican or a democrat.

you work together to put the safety and efficiency of the american people first. this bill will invest millions and produce countless jobs for cities such as fontana. it will improve roadways, transit systems, our access to clean water, and millions of americans, their ability to access highspeed internet and bridge the digital divide. this bill will also address climate change, and it is a major step forward in protecting our communities against fire, drought, and flood. after the great depression, roosevelt had his new deal, putting americans back to work and bringing forth programs that are still with us generations later. social security, unemployment insurance, and federal agriculture subsidies. now after a pandemic that's shaken the global economy at its

core, we have this newer deal, one that will put america back while protecting and advancing our infrastructure for generations to come. you know, mr. president, i've been working on infrastructure since i was elected as mayor in 2010. i just have to thank the members of congress and thank you, mr. president, for making this a reality. thank you. [applause] >> please welcome senator kyrsten sinema. senator sinema: thank you. you know, you'll hear a lot today about what this historic legislation means for everyday americans. from better roads to stronger electric grids to cleaner water to faster internet in more places. our plan will create millions of

jobs and make our country stronger, safer, and more globally competitive without raising taxes on everyday americans. you may have heard less about new policies in our bill that do not grab the same media attention but will make a big difference. states like arizona that are confronting historic droughts will see billions of dollars to strengthen water systems throughout the american west. communities will see historic investments to prevent and recover from wildfires. land ports of entry, key national security infrastructure, and commercial hubs will see major upgrades. and our bill makes significant investments in tribal communities' infrastructure, including all necessary funding to complete authorized indian water rights settlements. beyond historic financial resources, we have a significant update in transportation policy. from strengthening public

transit in midsized communities to new technologies preventing impaired driving to new federal positions to raise the voices of tribal communities and infrastructure policy. our legislation represents the substantive policy changes that some have said are no longer possible in today's senate. how many times have we heard that bipartisanship isn't possible any more or that important policy can only happen on a party line? this legislation proves the opposite, and the senators who negotiated this legislation showed how to get things done. the senators in our group of 10 effectively represented the needs of the region we represent. senator cassidy in the deep south. senator warren in thee mid-atlantic. -- senator warner in the mid-atlantic.

senator manchin in appalachia. and senators romney and tester in the west. in the northeast and alaska, each with unique needs, with ably represented by senators shaheen, collins, and murkowski, the wonder women of our group, always focused on the practical outcomes. [applause] and i sincerely thank my partner in coleading this long effort, senator rob portman, whose knowledge of the federal budget is matched only by his steadfast commitment to delivering our this priority for america. [applause] delivering this legislation to the everyday america, this is what it looks like when elected leaders set aside differences, shut out the noise, and focus on delivering results on the issues that matter most to everyday americans. i look forward to the work we will all do together to implement this historic legislation. thank you. [applause]

>> please welcome senator rob portman. senator portman: kyrsten, thank you very much. it was great being your partner in this. i heard you say, in fact, i heard president biden say this infrastructure bill will have a positive impact on every single american. and that's true. this is true today. it will be true for decades to come. and i want to congratulate everyone gathered here today for the role you played in making this possible. this is what can happen when republicans and democrats decide we're going to work together to get something done. [applause] the bipartisan process that resulted in this historic investment began with a meeting about eight months ago with my colleague, senator sinema, whose persistence was absolutely key to us being here today. we met, frankly, in response to

the initial biden infrastructure plan, which included tax increases and also included substantial investments in socalled human infrastructure. by removing the tax hikes and strengthening the package to -- shrinking the package to only fund core infrastructure, we saw an opportunity to find bipartisan consensus on finally fixing our nation's outdated infrastructure. and from there, the group quickly grew to the 10 communicators. senators collins, romney, bill cassidy, shaheen, warrener, and tester. five republicans. five democrats. it ultimately grew to 22 senators, evenly divided by party and partnership with the house problem solvers caucus led by brian fitzgerald and josh gottheimer. give them a round of applause. [applause]

senator mitch mcconnell, to his credit, supported our efforts to find a way forward and eventually lent his critical support. senator shelley moore capito helpfully defined the notion -- helped laid the foundation for the white house discussions and in her committee work with senator carper. [applause] our work was guided by a few simple principles core : infrastructure only, no tax increases and no linkage to the broader partisan reconciliation process. instead, we agreed this would be a truly bipartisan process, working from the middle out. not the top down. there were plenty of bumps along the way, but we got there because we were all committed to ultimately delivering a result to the constituents we represent. we also got, because a lot of smart, hardworking staff, as usual. i want to commend my team as well as the staff of our g10

members and i want to commend the white house negotiators led by steve and supported by brian. every president and every congress in modern times proposed major infrastructure improvements. they all have. by making infrastructure a real priority in his administration, president trump furthered the discussion and helped republicans like me think differently about the positive impact of investment in core infrastructure. and core infrastructure is what this law's all about. it's about roads and bridges and rail and ports and water systems, the electric grid, broadband, and more. we got a major bridge in my hometown, and it's also a major bottleneck desperately in need of replacing. we've been trying to do it for 25 years. but we haven't been able to pull together the funding and figure out how to do it. this new law finally gives us the tools we need to fix the

brent spence bridge and the same is true for major projects all around the country. that's why you see some of my colleagues here from every region of the country, because they know this is going to help to create more economic efficiency, more productivity, and maybe lessen that commute for their constituents. this longterm investment in our nation's capital assets will grow the economy because of that efficiency and that productivity. it will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, you know, it will make us more competitive against countries like china who are investing heavily in infrastructure. much more than we have been. maybe most importantly, the time of surging inflation, these longterm investments are actually going to help. inflation, of course, is caused when demand outstrips supply. and in this case, we're not funding stimulus funding that adds to the demand side but ports and rail and other assets that will help on the supply side.

that's why economists say this bill is counterinflationary, which is so important right now. as american families are facing higher prices on everything from gas to groceries. this new law will also include landmark permitting reforms to reduce timelines for infrastructure projects while maintaining environmental and safety standards. we want taxpayerfunded infrastructure projects to be done as costeffectively as possible, right? get them done on time and under budget. this bipartisan support for this bill comes because it makes sense for our constituents. but the approach from the center out should be the norm, not the exception. the increasing polarization of our country is keeping us from getting things done. and we have a responsibility to do better. the american people want us to see us coming together. they know that despite our differences we should be able to figure it out and work together to solve big problems.

we can start by recognizing that finding common ground to advance the interests of the american people should be rewarded, not attacked. [applause] mr. president, in a moment you're going to sign this bill. i will say that you and i will disagree on the tax and spending in the other priority you have, the reconciliation bill, but i think we can both agree that this infrastructure investment shouldn't be a onetime bipartisan accomplishment. this should be the beginning of a renewed effort to work together on big issues facing our country. again, i want to thank everybody who's here today for what you did to make this possible. thank you. [applause] >> please welcome senate majority leader chuck schumer.

senator schumer: thank you. thank you, mr. president, for inviting us to the white house. thank you to vice president harris, my colleagues in attendance, all of you, and senator sinema and speaker pelosi. for years, americans were promised that an infrastructure bill was coming. today, we're telling the american people that an infrastructure bill is finally here. thank you, president biden! [applause] at the start of this year we told american families we'd meet our challenges, the challenges of our time with boldness and with courage. now they're getting one of the largest infrastructure bills ever. to paraphrase one of my favorite former vice presidents, it's a big f'in deal. [laughter] there isn't a community in america, not a city, not a town

or rural hub that doesn't have some glaring infrastructure problem requiring immediate intent, immediate attention. busted roads make it harder for people to get to work. dilapidated schools make it harder for kids to learn. overtaxed sea ports and railways makes it harder for goods to get to market, raising prices for consumers and hurting our economy. if america is to compete in this century, we can't do it with an infrastructure that's stuck in the last century. this infrastructure bill will help us meet the challenges of our time, strengthen our crucial supply chains, and lay the foundation for another generation of economic prosperity. this bill can be summed up by a fourletter word jobs.

jobs, jobs, and more local jobs, more goodpaying jobs, more union jobs. [applause] this bill will benefit every state. every state in very significant ways. in new york, my new york, major projects have been stalled. gateway, cross bronx expressway, i-81 in syracuse, the interloop in rochester will all have the ability to get going. and there are projects as important as these in every state across the country. today's infrastructure bill will also begin the necessary efforts to prevent the worst of climate change, putting thousands of americans to work by investing in resilience in our buildings and crucially beginning our task to make america's transportation system clean. it will finally bring millions of americans online with

highspeed internet, both in rural and underserved communities. new york alone still has over oe million households without access or a subscription to broadband. we'll also help eliminate pipes in our water system so lead pipes in our water system so parents one day will not get worried that their kids will get sick time they turn on the positive. cities like rochester still have 25,000 blood pipes that need replacing. and today's legislation will also make driving safer in america. it will require new cars to the install drunk driving prevention technology. and it will make dangerous, largely unregulated vehicles , like limos, safer to use on the road. in the audience today, we have a great new yorker, my friend, kevin kushing. kevin, where are you amid this big crowd? thank you, kevin. he's way back there.

kevin is the father of patrick. he died patrick died three years , ago when he and 19 friends from the amsterdam, new york, area were celebrating a birthday and they were killed in a limo crash. as the president deeply understands, that is a loss no parent should endure. it was horrific. preventable tragedy. stemming from outdated federal loopholes that allows dangerous limos to operate on the roads unchecked. in the face of a loss, rather than curse the darkness, kevin and the families impacted that day lit a candle. every day since that accident they have pushed every single senator to support changes in our laws to make these vehicles safer to ride in. today, their perseverance has paid off.

kevin, my friend, it was an honor to fight alongside you and today, patrick is smiling down with pride. [applause] so mr. president, thank you for your leadership in achieving this longsought goal on a bipartisan basis. the benefits go on and on. thank you to all of my colleagues who pushed this infrastructure bill over the finish line, including our committee chairs and speaker pelosi and everyone who reached across the aisle on this bipartisan achievement. today's signing is a major and historic step forward. and we will keep working with you, mr. president, to build on today's success by passing the rest of your build back better agenda in the weeks ahead so we can keep our promises to help families achieve the american dream. thank you, everybody. this is a great day for america.

[applause] >> please welcome speaker of the house, nancy pelosi. [applause] speaker pelosi: good afternoon, everyone. thank you so much to everyone who made today possible. i especially want to acknowledge president biden for the glorious vision and the great commitment that he had to bring this legislation forward for the people. it is a great achievement. thank you, mr. president. when our nation was experiencing the depths of pandemic and economic crisis, you knew, mr. president, that we needed not only to recover but we had to seize the opportunity to build back better. following your vision, congress passed the infrastructure investment in jobs act, an historic step to rebuild the infrastructure and the middle class.

your agenda is historic, transformative, and the biggest, boldest investment in our country's history. i just want to talk about the history for a moment. the very first major investment was president thomas jefferson's. he passed the secretary of the treasury to build the infrastructure, to reach into our evergrowing nation, resulting in the erie canal, the cumberland road in maryland. and other initiatives. then, under president lincoln, as through legislation under congress, they had the transcontinental railroad connecting the country from coast to coast. on the 100th anniversary of the gallatin project, president theodore roosevelt established a national park service to preserve god's beautiful and natural patrimony of our country. and then president eisenhower years later established the interstate highway system,

initially a national security initiative, but significantly connecting america for commerce and communities. and today, mr. president, with the stroke of your pen, we will take a giant step to achieve your vision to build america's roads, bridges, water systems, and so much more, creating goodpaying union jobs and [applause] ensuring clean air and clean water, delivering better quality of life with equity, helping businesses arrive and -- thrive and turbocharging our global competitiveness, connecting communities, again, through the internet and making america safer as we protect our planet. and we do so building back better. this historic achievement was possible, thanks to so many who have been acknowledged already, honor granted to all of them, to our chairs, members, and staff who every step brought

knowledge, commitment, and leadership that is making a difference. especially i salute in the house transportation and infrastructure chair peter defazio, a maestro of all things related to infrastructure and sustainability. i do want to acknowledge mr. clyburn who was taking great pride i think almost blushing , when our guest from the carolinas was talking about broadband, especially, but among other things. thank you, mr. clyburn, for your leadership in all of that. [applause] i might associate myself with the closing remarks of mr. schumer. this is a great accomplishment, and there's more to come. i'm so happy that hopefully this week we will be passing build back better to [applause] to get tax cuts to america's working families, to create millions more jobs, to lower health care costs, and all of it

paid for by making everyone pay his or her own fair share. i close by saying last week in glasgow in cop 26 they were enthusiastic about the build back better agenda. as the president said, america is back. with president biden's signature, we show america's leadership for ourselves, for the people, be and to the world. thank you, mr. president. and thank all of you. [applause] ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states, accompanied by the vice president of the united states, and heather curtin bach a member of ironworkers local 86. ♪[hail to the chief plays]

♪ ♪ it >> please welcome heather. vice president harris: in a moment. please have a seat. president joe biden, speaker nancy pelosi, majority leader chuck schumer, cabinet members, congress members, governors and mayors and my fellow americans, this is an historic day. in the middle of the civil war, president abraham lincoln started construction on the transcontinental railroad. in the middle of the great depression, president franklin roosevelt finished construction on the hoover dam.

president dwight eisenhower signed the interstate highways act. during the middle of the cold war. and today and today, president joe biden will sign the infrastructure investment and jobs act into law. [applause] indeed, it is an historic day today. from the very start of our administration, we were determined to follow through. not just on our promise to invest in our nation's infrastructure, but on the promises that the american people have heard for years now. and we would not be here today were it not for your leadership, mr. president. from the very start, you welcomed democrats, independents, and republicans to meet with us in the oval office. you welcomed ideas. you welcomed debate.

all in the service of getting this bill done. and here is what i know to be true, mr. president. you are equal parts believer and builder. and because you are, we are all better off. on behalf of our nation, thank you, mr. president. [applause] and of course, our administration did not arrive at this day by ourselves. we are also here because of leaders in the house and the senate who worked on this bill together, who voted for this bill. and we are here because of the millions of americans who believed that we could get this done. well, we got it done, america. [laughter] we got it done.

in many ways, this day embodies our character as a nation. it demonstrates exactly who we are. we are believers, through and through. we see what can be unburdened by what has been. we are as bold as we are determined to do big things. the infrastructure investment and jobs act proves that. it proves that in america we have the courage to believe a better future is possible and to build it together. after this bill is signed into law, millions of americans will go to work in goodpaying, good union jobs. [applause] americans, like joe johnson, a carpenter i met in nevada, who said that he has, quote, built her career on infrastructure and

fed her family on infrastructure. americans like jeff bird, a line design technician i met with in new hampshire. he tested fibers, utility poles to keep up the demand for highspeed internet. or leslie kilgore, an engineer i met with in north carolina, whose team is building electric school buses. or walter cody, a construction inspector with whom i met who is working to get clean water to families in california. this will be a nationwide effort, the likes of which we have not seen in a generation. it will make our country more competitive, and it will deliver on our nation and our administration's commitment to equity. now, this bill, as significant as it is, as historic as it is,

is part one of two. [applause] to lower costs and cut taxes for working families, to tackle the climate crisis at its core, congress must also pass the build back better act. [applause] the work of building a more perfect union did not end with the railroad or the interstate. and it will not end now. so on this historic day, let us all continue to believe in our people, believe in our country, and believe in what we can do when we work together. thank you, all. may god bless you, and may god bless america. [applause]

>> please welcome heather kurtenbach. ms. kurtenbach: thank you, madam vice president. as a proud union ironworker of local 86 in seattle, washington, i'm honored to be here at the white house on this historic day for workers like me and our country. i am an elected leader in my local union as a business agent in the sister committee which mentors new ironworkers. before i got where i am today, however, i had to overcome some challenges. in 2005, i was released from incarceration. while incarcerated, i was able to work on a wildland firefighting crew. sometimes heading out in the middle of the night to fight fires. that experience taught me a powerful work ethic and gave me lasting friendships. when i got out of prison, however, doors were closed to me. i searched for a job for six months with no offers.

all poor baby finally, as a lastditch effort, i asked my brother-in-law, i union ironworker how he made a living. , he told me, go to the union and apply. you can totally do this work. and i'm so glad i did. i was accepted into [applause] thank you. yeah. i was accepted into the apprenticeship and went right out to a rebar job. i loved working rods and i fit right into the trade. i graduated from my apprenticeship at an uncertain time. the great recession 12 years ago was more of a depression for the construction industry. many of my fellow journeymen workers, my coworkers excuse me couldn't find work. locally, the obama biden administration passed the recovery act that created a vital lifeline of jobs as the economy recovered. yes. [applause] just like this infrastructure law will do for workers today,

enabling them to rebuild america and to take care of their family over the coming years. roads and bridges, rail, transit, airports, water, a whole generation of our nation's infrastructure will be built, creating good union jobs for people just like me. [applause] it invests in historically disadvantaged communities, creating jobs for people of every race, gender and background. i'm proud to stand here today and represent the most diverse labor movement in history. nearly half of my local apprentices are women or people of color. [applause] and this law empowers unions to keep building the middle class, leaving no one behind. most of all i'm proud to stand here as an american in this moment. in our line of work you have to trust one another to get the job done and throughout this process, i knew we could trust someone to get this law done.

someone who understands what workers like me are going through and who always believes in us and what we can do if given a chance. i never imagined in a million years i'd be standing here today. yeah. but that's what's great about america. thank you. thank you. [cheers and applause] thank you. thank you. that's what's so great about america, and having a president who believes someone like me should be standing here. on behalf of local 86 in seattle and union workers everywhere, for the faith he is placing is us, i'm honored to introduce the 46th president of the united states, joe biden. [cheers and applause]

pres. biden: thank you, thank you, thank you. [cheers and applause] thank you. thank you, heather. thank you, thank you. thank you. heather, you thought you were surprised you're standing here. [laughter] jill was very surprised i'm standing here. heather, thank you for the introduction. i can't look over here because the sun is shining in my eye but all this other crowd over here, thank you, thank you, thank you for all you have done. look, thanks for sharing this day with us. why this day matters to you and your fellow iron workers and your families, and you explained it well. for all the folks at home, i know this day matters to you as

well. i know you're tired of the bickering in washington. frustrated by the negativity. and you just want us to use and focus on your needs, your concerns, and the conversations that are taking place at your kitchen table. conversations as profound as they are ordinary. how do i find work? how do i get there? how can our small business thrive? and our child succeed in school? how do we emerge from this pandemic, not just a little bit of breathing room but with a fighting chance to get ahead? when we ran for president, i thought maybe i could help answer some of those questions for you and the needs you have. because every time i'd ride home on amtrak i'd go through just south of baltimore, look out, go through suburban neighborhoods, i'd look at the lights on in the

windows and i'd wonder, what are they talking about. i'm serious. swear to god. what are they talking about sitting at that table? what are they talking about? talking about the things i talked about our kitchen table, jill and hers and all of you as well. asked about how can we come together to be president for all americans, to make sure our democracy delivers for you, for all of you. i promise that we couldn't just build back to what it was before. we literally had to build back better. you couldn't build back -- we're the only country that's always come out of great crises stronger than we went in. the world has changed. we have to be ready. my fellow americans, today i want you to know we hear you, and we see you. [applause] the bill i'm about to sign into law is proof that despite the cynics, democrats and republicans can come together and deliver results.

we can do this. we can deliver real results for real people. we see in ways that really matter each and every day to each person out there and we're taking a monumental step forward to build back better as a nation. i want to thank everyone to make this happen. vice president harris, my cabinet members my white house , team. jill, doug, our first lady, our -- first lady and second husband. no, i'm joking. [laughter] these guys travel all over the country together. i'm getting worried, you know. doug is one hell of a lawyer besides. everybody from the united states senate, majority leader schumer and a group of senate democrats and republicans who established this bipartisan framework including representatives and all the folks you heard from. senator ron portman, who is a

rob portman who is a hell of a , good guy. i'm not hurting you, you're not running again, that's why i can say that but you are a hell of a good guy. and the most determined woman i know, senator kyrsten sinema. congratulations. i want to thank minority leader mitch mcconnell for voting for this bill and talking about how useful and important it is. and from the house of representatives, speaker pelosi, steny hoyer, jim clyburn and me -- committee chair pete defazio. democrats and republicans, progressives and moderates, i'd like to pause and ask all the committee chairs and ranking members of the united states senate and house who are here today, please stand. will all of you stand in come on. all right.

thank you. thank you. thank you. to state the obvious, none of this would have happened without all of you. i really mean it. also to the governor, what are the governors? governors, stand up. come on. i want you to stand up. red states, blue states, you all contacted me, you all said you were for this, you all stepped up. more than 375 mayors, democrats and republicans, from every state and district of columbia wrote me asking to get this done. you got it, kid. [laughter] nearly 50 of whom are here today including the republican mayor from fontana, california, mayor warren who spoke earlier and county and state and tribal leaders as well, civil rights leaders, faith leaders, this law was supported by business groups

the u.s. chamber of commerce, , the national association of manufacturers, the business round table representing 200 of the largest corporations in america and other top businesses. i want to especially thank and i'm sure you all, as we used to say in the senate, point of personal privilege, i want to thank organized labor who understands it's about jobs. you all stood up. [applause] jobs jobs, job, jobs. ,special thanks to the afl-cio, autoworkers, united workers, plumbers, pipe fitters, building trade, steelworkers, who did i leave out? pardon me? and my wife is a member of the union, the nea. i'm going to get in trouble. there's so many more. look, folks, for too long, we talked about having the best economy in the world. we talked about asserting

american leadership around the world. with the best and the safest roads, railroads, port, airports. here in washington, we've heard countless speeches and promises and white papers from experts. but today we're finally getting it done. so my message to the american people is this. america is moving again. and your life is going to change for the better. if you live in one of the top -- if you live in one of the 10 million homes or you're a child who attends one of 400,000 schools or child care centers that still has lead pipes in them, you face a clear and present danger to your health and your child's health now. this law will start to replace 100% of the nation's lead pipes and service lines so every american, every child can turn on a faucet and drink clean water. tens of thousands of plumbers and pipe fitters are going to get work done in good-paying job. folks, as we saw with remote

learn, remote work -- woking in -- working during the pandemic access to high speed internet is , essential. as is access to water and electricity. this law will make high speed internet available and affordable every, urban, suburban and rural. great job laying those broadband lines. no parent, excuse me. no parent should have to sit in a parking lot in a fast food restaurant again just so their child can use the internet to do their homework. that's over. folks, if i visited your town i'm sure you'd be able to tell me where you hold your breath as you cross a particular bridge or where the most dangerous intersection in your town. is this law makes the most significant investment in roads and bridges in past 70 years. it makes the most significant investment in passenger rail in the past 50 years. and in public transit ever.

so what that means is you're going to be safer, and you're going to get there faster. we're going to have a whole hell of a lot less pollution in the air. the bipartisan law will modernize our ports, our airports, our freight real -- freight rail to make it easier for companies to get goods to market. reduce supply chain bottlenecks as we're experiencing now. lower costs for you and your family. the law also builds on our resilience so that the next storm, superstorm, drought, wildfire, hurricane, can be dealt with. last year alone the united , states as a consequence of these kind of extreme weather events, lost $99 billion in the united states alone in damage. after hurricane ida, i see the distinguished governor of louisiana is over there i saw him stand up. i went down to see him. we went through and saw all the damage there. they had 179-mile-per-hour winds at top speed in louisiana.

then i headed on up to new york, chuck, up in your area, queens and new jersey, more people died there than in a hurricane. more people died with the flooding. record wildfires raged. i went to idaho and california and saw it. more land burned to the ground than the entire state of new jersey out west. folks, walk the neighborhoods and look people in the eye in these circumstances as many of you have and you'll see the despair and heartache. so many of you understand, you're living thru it. this law builds back our bridge, our water system, our power line, our levees. better and stronger. so few americans will be flooded out of their homes or lose power in those days and weeks. folks, this bipartisan law for the first time ever creates a true national network of

charging stations for electric vehicles, over 500,000, so you can charge your car here and drive all the way to california not worrying about having to find places to charge. creating thousands of jobs. thousands. it's also going to make it possible for americans to get off the sidelines and into the game of manufacturing, solar panels, wind turbines, batteries to store energy and power of electric vehicle, including electric school buses which means millions of children will no longer inhale the dangerous diesel fumes that come out of buses. for real, it's a big deal. and it'll reward companies for paying good wages. if you're buying american, sourcing their product here's in america right now. it's going to help the united states export clean energy technologies to the world. there's so much more in the law but most of all it does something truly historic.

i ran for president believing it was time to rebuild the back bone of this nation which i characterize as working people and middle class. they're the ones who built the country. and to rebuild the economy from the bottom up and the middle out this law delivers on that long overdue promise in my view. creates better jobs for millions of americans and no one, no one earning less than $400,000 a year will pay a single penny in federal taxes because of it. it does not include, as we did the bipartisan infrastructure bill, it does not include a single penny in gas tax which i rejected because people under $400,000 will be paying it. this law is a blue collar blueprint to rebuild america. it leaves no one behind. it marks an inflection point that we face as a nation. from most of the 20th century we , led the world by significant margins because we invested in ourselves. somewhere along the way we stopped investing in ourselves. we risk losing our edge as a nation.

china and the rest of the world are catching up. our infrastructure used to be rated the best in the world. now we rank 3th in the world. -- 13th in the world. that's about to change. things are going to turn around in a big way. for example, because of this law, next year will be the first year in 20 years american infrastructure investment will grow faster than chinese. we'll once again have the best roads, bridge, ports and airports over the next decade. will lead the world into the 21st century with modern cars and trucks and transit system. we're going to do this by building again and moving again. folks, too often in washington the reason we didn't get thing s done is because we insist on getting everything we want. everything. this law we focus on getting things done. i ran for president because the only way to move this country forward in my view was through compromise and consensus.

that's how the system works. that's american democracy. and i'm going to be signing a law that is truly consequential because we made our democracy deliver for the american people. we compromise. we reached a consensus. that's necessary. and now our focus is on implementing an infrastructure law with speed and discipline . i have a lot of experience in doing that, when i was vice president i was given the responsibility for overseeing and implementing the recovery act, the nearly $900 billion emergency package. i'd proud to say when we finished implementing that recovery act, it was determined there had been less than .2% waste, fraud or abuse and i was -- it was how i learned and earned the nickname sheriff joe from president obama. because i made it a point, every single day, for well other a year, to stay on top of how the mup was being used. -- money was being used.

i spoke with over 160 mayors, two and three times sometimes and i spoke with county executives and every governor save one, i won't mention that. save one. she could see alaska from her porch. monitor what we are doing. just how it's being done. and it was one of the most efficient implementations in american history. now we owe it to the american people to do the same thing again and make sure every penny is spent where it's supposed to go in a timely fashion, i asked the former mayor of new orleans and former lieutenant govern i -- governor, to oversee this responsibility. they'll have access to every tool the federal government has to get it done. we have the high obligation and responsibility to make sure this money is used wisely and used well. folks, i've been looking forward to this day for a long time. tomorrow i'll be traveling to , new hampshire to visit a bridge that is structurally not

safe, like thousands of bridges across america. that is what this law is all about. keeping communities safer and more efficient. on i'll be in detroit to meet wednesday, with u.a.w. workers building the next generation of electric vehicles. that's just the beginning. you'll see me and vice president harris, jill and doug, cabinet officials hitting the road to help you understand how this is going to transform your lives for the better. folks, when you see those projects starting in your hometown, i want you to feel what i feel. pride. pride at what we can do together as the united states of america. folks, you know, the saying goes for my plan to build back better for the people, getting folks back to work and reducing costs of things like child care, elder care, house, health care, prescription drugs and meeting the moment on climate change. i'm confident that the house will pass this bill and then we're going to have to pass it in the senate. it is fully paid for. it will reduce the deficit over a long term according to the leading economists in the world and again no one earning less

than $400,000 will pay a single penny more in federal taxes. and together, together with the infrastructure bill, millions of lives will be changed for the better. folks, let me close with this. throughout our history, we've emerged from crises by investing in ourselves. during and after the civil war, for reference, we built the transcontinental railroad uniting the east and woas, east and west, uniting america. during the cold war, we built the interstate highway system, transforming how americans live their lives. and now emerging from the covid-19 pandemic we'll rebuild the economy for the 21st century. when i met with the president of china, who i'll be speaking with tonight, several years ago, he asked me could i define america. i said absolutely. i can define it in one word. possibilities. possibilities.

there is no limit to what our people think we can do. and there is no limit to what our nation can do. and there's no one thing that i know more than this. it's never, ever been a good bet to bet against the american people. never, never, never. [applause] given half a chance the american people have never, ever, ever let this nation down and it's our job to give our people that chance. it's our job to come together and make sure we remain a nation of possibilities. as i look out on this crowd today i see democrats and republicans, national leaders, local leaders, all elected officials. labor leaders. business leaders and most of all i see fellow americans. i see america. let's remember this day. let's remember we can come together. most of all, let's remember what we've we got done for the american people when we do come together. i truly believe that 50 years from now, historians will look back at this moment and say that's the moment america began

to win the competition of the 21st century. so with confidence, optimism, vision and faith in each other, let's believe in possibilities. let's believe in one another. and let's believe in america. god bless you all and may god protect our troops. now let me sign this bipartisan bill. [cheers and applause] oh, my mask. yes, i do. >>[crowd chatter]

>> we were wondering when you were going to stop. pres. biden: i'm going to get you each a pen. there's 30 of you up here. all right. ok, here we go. [applause] bravo. thank you, thank you, thank you. good job. everybody gets one. ♪ [applause]

>> ♪ god bless america my home sweet home ♪ ♪ [indistinguishable conversations]

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>> ladies of gentle -- ladies and gentlemen, can i have your attention please? all members of congress, the shuttles are ready to load. please proceed to the east wing entrance. all members of congress, the shuttle is ready to load. please proceed to the east wing entrance. ♪

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♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, members of congress, the shuttles are ready to load. please proceed it to the east wing entrance. all members of congress, the shuttles are ready to load. please proceed to the east wing entrance. ♪

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>> ladies and gentlemen, members of congress, the shuttles are ready to load. please proceed to the east wing entrance. as all members of congress. the shuttles are ready to load. please proceed to the east wing entrance. thank you.

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♪ >> ladies, members of congress, -- ladies and gentlemen, numbers of congress, the shuttles are ready to load. -- members of congress, the shuttles are ready to load. please proceed to the east wing entrance. thank you.

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♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, members of congress.

this is the final call. the shuttles are ready to load. please proceed to the east wing entrance. final call for shuttles to congress. ♪

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networks, both chambers of congress are in session. the house will take up president biden's build back better social spending plan after nancy lucy -- nancy pelosi delayed a vote. the request came from moderate democrats. today at 10:00 a.m. eastern live on c-span3, the homeland security testifies before the senate judiciary committee. this meeting was how -- postponed last week after he tested positive for covid-19. the leading cyber security experts from the white house, homeland security and the guy will testify before the house oversight and reform committee on strategies to crackdown on ransomware attack's, disrupt hackers and build resilience against cyber threats on wednesday at 10:00 a.m. eastern.